Elon Musk allays environmental fears on Tesla plant in Germany

  • Tesla plans for its Gigafactory has invited protests over concerns that the facility will excessively use water and cause deforestation by destroying 300 hectares of forest.
Demonstrators hold anti-Tesla posters during a protest against plans by U.S. electric vehicle pioneer Tesla to build its first European factory and design center in Gruenheide near Berlin. (REUTERS)
Demonstrators hold anti-Tesla posters during a protest against plans by U.S. electric vehicle pioneer Tesla to build its first European factory and design center in Gruenheide near Berlin.

SAN FRANCISCO : Tesla CEO Elon Musk has responded to environmental concerns including excessive water use for building the massive 'Gigafactory 4' near Berlin to produce electric cars for the European market, saying that such concerns were baseless.

The leading non-profit organization BUND (Friends of the Earth Germany) met Tesla officials last week to discuss possible environmental pollution from the planned Gigafactory.

"Sounds like we need to clear up a few things! Tesla won't use this much net water on a daily basis. It's possibly a rare peak usage case, but not an everyday event," tweeted Musk.

Also check these Vehicles

Find more Cars
Tesla Model S (HT Auto photo)
UPCOMING
BatteryCapacity Icon75 kWh Range Icon396 km
₹70 Lakhs - 1 Cr
Alert Me When Launched
Tesla Model 3 (HT Auto photo)
UPCOMING
BatteryCapacity Icon82kWh Range Icon 555 km
₹ 70 - 90 Lakhs
Alert Me When Launched
Lexus Es (HT Auto photo)
Engine Icon2487.0 cc FuelType IconMultiple
₹ 56.55 - 62.19 Lakhs
Compare
View Offers
Bmw I4 (HT Auto photo)
BatteryCapacity Icon83.9 kWh Range Icon493 Km
₹ 69.90 Lakh
Compare
View Offers
Volkswagen Id.7 (HT Auto photo)
UPCOMING
BatteryCapacity Icon77 kWh Range Icon621 Km
₹ 70 Lakhs
Alert Me When Launched
Hyundai Creta (HT Auto photo)
Engine Icon1497 cc FuelType IconMultiple
₹ 11 - 20.15 Lakhs
Compare
View Offers

"Also, this is not a natural forest a" it was planted for use as cardboard & only a small part will be used for GF4," he added.

The site where the Gigafactory will be built has invited protests over concerns that the facility will excessively use water and cause deforestation by destroying 300 hectares of forest.

"Giga Berlin will build sustainable energy vehicles using sustainable energy, so net environmental impact will be extremely positive!" Musk said.

After Shanghai in China, Musk selected Berlin as Tesla's next gigafactory outside the US where the company is planning to invest 4 billion euros ($4.4 billion) and produce 150,000 cars a year.

The Berlin unit will manufacture SUV Model Y, which could go into production by 2021. The unit could initially employ 3,000 people. The headcount could rise to 7,000.

First Published Date: 27 Jan 2020, 10:53 AM IST
NEXT ARTICLE BEGINS

Check Latest Offers

Please provide your details to get Personalized Offers

Choose city
+91 | Choose city
Choose city
Select a dealer

Want to get the best price for your existing car?

Powered by: Spinny Logo
By clicking "View Offers" you Agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy
Dear Name

Please verify your mobile number.

+91 | Choose city
Couldn't verify the OTP.
It's either expired or it's incorrect.